It happened out of nowhere.
"I'm Luffy! Starting today, I'm your handyman! Nice to meet ya!"
Luffy's booming voice cut through the frenetic clamor of Baratie's kitchen, a battlefield of clanging pots and shouting cooks. Sporting a white apron tied around his waist and his straw hat perched proudly, he stood arms crossed, grinning at the chaos. But the cooks, swamped with orders, ignored him completely, their hands a blur as they worked. With customers flooding the restaurant, there wasn't a second to spare.
Roars of frustration echoed as the grizzled cooks barked at each other, their rough voices filling the air. Luffy, a random outsider, barely registered in their line of sight. Even if they noticed, they had no time for him, their pirate-like intensity focused solely on cooking.
"Table eight's ready! Someone take it!" a cook shouted.
"Carry it yourself! I'm slammed!" another snapped.
"Where's that bastard Sanji? He's not carrying a damn thing!"
"Probably flirting with some lady again."
"Ugh, isn't there a waiter around?!"
The situation was dire. One cook scanned the kitchen, spotting Luffy lounging in a corner, tilting a chair playfully. A stranger, clearly slacking. Without thinking, the cook bellowed, "Hey, you! Didn't you say you're a handyman? Stop messing around!"
"Work, huh?" Luffy perked up.
"The food's ready! Get it out before it goes cold!"
"On it!" Luffy said, only to grab a piece of food and pop it into his mouth.
"Why're you eating it?!" the cook roared.
The kitchen's chaos escalated with Luffy's arrival. His outstretched hand had swiped a portion of the dish meant for customers, ruining its presentation. It was unsalvageable, and the cooks' frustration was palpable. As Luffy moved to head out, they yanked the plate from him.
"Damn it, we gotta remake it! You're making more work!"
"Huh? Not serving it?" Luffy asked.
"You ate it, idiot! This is for customers!"
"Oh, right. Can't serve what I ate," Luffy nodded, immediately grabbing another dish.
"Stop eating while I'm talking!"
The cooks' fury peaked as Luffy nibbled again. They gave up on him serving, their voices hoarse with exasperation. "Forget it! Just take orders!"
"Orders? Never done that," Luffy said.
"Grab the pen and paper there, write what they say! Don't screw it up!"
"Fine, fine," Luffy muttered.
"Tch, you're the problem!"
Unfazed by their shouting, Luffy grabbed the pen and paper and sauntered into the dining area. He'd never worked in a restaurant, and anyone who knew him would've stopped him. With no one to intervene, he strode confidently into the fray.
The restaurant buzzed with life. Luffy spotted Sanji chatting with a female customer, oblivious to him. Deciding not to interrupt, he scanned for someone ready to order. A hand shot up—an older man in a black suit. Grinning, Luffy approached.
"Waiter, can I order?" the man asked.
"Sure. What'll it be?" Luffy replied.
The man listed his order, rattling off complex dish names and a wine selection. Luffy, raised running wild in the mountains and accustomed to simple meals like "meat," was out of his depth. He'd never seen Baratie's menu, let alone heard these terms. His brow furrowed, his pen sluggish as he struggled to keep up. The man finished, noticing Luffy's confusion.
"Did you get that?" he asked, sweating.
"Phew, your order's tough, old man. Got paper and pen—write it yourself?" Luffy suggested.
"What?" the man gaped.
"My apologies, sir," Sanji interjected, swooping in. "Seems an outsider slipped in. I'll take your order. Could you repeat it, please?"
"Oh, uh, sure…" the man stammered.
Sanji, with practiced ease, took the pen and paper, jotting down the order flawlessly. Ignoring the relieved customer, Luffy grinned at him. "Hey, Sanji!"
"Shut it," Sanji snapped.
He flashed a thin smile at the customer, all business, then turned to leave. "Sorry for the trouble, sir. Your order will be out shortly."
"Thanks," the man said.
"Come on, outsider," Sanji said, grabbing Luffy's arm.
"I'm not an outsider! I'm a handyman!" Luffy protested.
Sanji dragged him to the kitchen, stopping short to toss the order to a cook. He fixed Luffy with a hard stare, brow furrowed. "What're you doing? I told you to get lost."
"I said I'm not leaving till you join my crew," Luffy shot back.
"So you sneak in as a handyman?"
"The place looked busy, so I figured helping out would free you up to talk. Man, taking orders is hard! I had no clue what that guy wanted," Luffy said.
"What a mess…" Sanji muttered, clutching his head.
The cooks, still reeling from Luffy's antics, piled on. "Sanji, who's this guy?"
"He ate the food! Keep him outta the kitchen!"
"And you, stop slacking! Food's piling up, move it!"
"Done flirting with women, you idiot?"
"Shut up, you noisy bastards. Carry it yourselves," Sanji retorted.
"Hey, Sanji, join my crew," Luffy cut in.
"You're the noisiest one here!" Sanji shouted.
Luffy's presence shifted the kitchen's already volatile atmosphere, adding unnecessary strain. Shaking his head, Sanji reconsidered. He couldn't let Luffy run wild, but he couldn't babysit either—not with work piling up and no spare hands. Thinking fast, sharper than the other cooks, he pointed to the door leading outside.
"Fine, I'll hear you out later. For now, clean outside," Sanji said.
"Cleaning? I can do that," Luffy nodded.
"Don't break anything. Don't do anything extra. Actually, just slack off," Sanji warned.
"Don't worry. I'm a pirate—I can handle ship cleaning," Luffy said confidently.
Beaming with good intentions, Luffy marched out to help, disappearing through the door. The cooks sighed in relief, Sanji included.
Luffy wanted to talk recruitment and ease their burden to make time. A solid plan, but his clumsiness and act-first nature made him ill-suited for restaurant work. His impulsiveness, unchecked without Zoro or Yosaku, veered toward chaos. He didn't even know where cleaning supplies were.
Unfazed, he strolled the deck, grinning. "Man, this is a cool ship. Merry's great, but this is awesome too."
The restaurant's quirky fish-shaped design, unlike any pirate ship, charmed him. He admired its odd appeal, muttering in awe. Then, his thoughts shifted to his missing crew. "Wonder where everyone went. Yosaku doesn't know, Zoro's hopeless with directions, and without Kiri or Nami, I got no clue where to go. Once I get Sanji, where do we meet up?"
Mumbling, he glanced up, spotting an older man in a long chef's hat leaning on a second-floor railing, reading a newspaper. His serious demeanor and unique aura caught Luffy's eye. Stretching his arm, Luffy launched himself up, landing beside him.
The man noticed, meeting Luffy's gaze with a warm smile. "Old man, your hat's too long."
"Who're you?" the man asked.
"I'm Luffy, a pirate and this place's handyman," Luffy said.
"Handyman? I didn't hire you," the man replied.
"Are you the head chef?" Luffy guessed.
"A pirate handyman, huh? Weird kid," the man—Zeff, Baratie's head chef—said, shaking his head. Folding his newspaper, he faced Luffy.
An uninvited, oddball kid with a troublesome streak. Zeff sensed he'd need to handle him carefully. Luffy, grinning, seemed thrilled. "Good timing! You're the boss here, right?"
"I'm the head chef. But first, why's a pirate playing handyman without my say-so?" Zeff asked.
"That's what I wanted to talk about! We're here to recruit a cook," Luffy said.
"A pirate cook, huh?" Zeff mused.
"Found a great guy—Sanji. Can I take him?" Luffy asked.
Zeff's eyebrow twitched, but Luffy didn't notice, shrugging eagerly. "I get you're looking for crew, but what's that got to do with being a handyman?"
"So, I asked Sanji to join, but he said no. Said he's too busy to talk. I figured helping out would give him time," Luffy explained.
"Kid, got any cooking experience?" Zeff asked.
"Nope! But I'm confident. Sabo taught me about whimsical chef specials. I'm great at whimsical cooking!" Luffy boasted.
"So, no skills, and you volunteer as a handyman," Zeff sighed.
Talking to Luffy was exhausting, but his straightforward nature wasn't unpleasant. Something else caught Zeff's interest. Gesturing Luffy to his side, they looked out at the sea. "About Sanji. Why him? Old friend?"
"Met him just now. But he's a good guy," Luffy said.
"You just met and already know that?" Zeff asked.
"We were shipwrecked, starving, lost. Then Sanji gave us food, no charge. If we hadn't met him, we might've died," Luffy said.
"Really? That's him alright," Zeff murmured.
"Good guy, right? We'd be dead without him," Luffy laughed, oblivious to real danger.
Zeff eyed him, bemused. For a pirate, Luffy lacked caution, too childish to seem threatening. It was almost worrying.
Dismissing Luffy's quirks, Zeff focused on Sanji—his sous-chef, the closest thing to family. "He refused, huh?"
"Yeah, said he won't leave," Luffy confirmed.
"That little eggplant, acting all grown-up. Pointless…" Zeff muttered.
"What's that about?" Luffy asked.
"Kids pretending to be adults are the least charming. He overthinks," Zeff said.
His words carried weight, hinting at something deeper. Luffy's smile faded, his gaze serious. Zeff, facing an unknown kid wanting to take Sanji, spoke quietly, sensing something in Luffy. "Why'd you become a pirate? It's a dangerous, tough path."
"I made a promise to a guy who gave me this hat. I'll return it and become Pirate King," Luffy said.
"Pirate King? Ridiculous. The hardest path there is," Zeff scoffed.
"Yup! I'm doing it 'cause I want to. No regrets, no giving up," Luffy grinned.
"Hmph. Words that eggplant needs to hear," Zeff said, smiling faintly.
Despite Luffy's unreliability, his conviction was genuine. Zeff, perhaps reminded of his own past, admired it. "Think you can make it? That sea's no joke."
"I will," Luffy said firmly.
"Idiots like you are perfect for piracy," Zeff chuckled.
"You know a lot about pirates, huh?" Luffy asked.
"Who knows," Zeff said, gazing at the sea with quiet conviction.
Luffy looked too, pondering briefly. "I won't stop you. Take him if he agrees," Zeff said.
"Cool, I'll convince him," Luffy replied.
"You'd be my rival, stealing my sous-chef. Waiters already bailed, and now this," Zeff said.
"You're not stopping me? You like Sanji, don't you?" Luffy asked.
"At my age, like or dislike doesn't matter. He's stubborn, though," Zeff warned.
"No problem. I've made stubborn people join before," Luffy said.
Grinning, he turned, leaning on the railing. "You're strong, right? Were you a pirate?"
"What makes you think that? Look, one leg's useless," Zeff said, gesturing to his peg leg.
"Still feel strong vibes. Is Sanji strong too?" Luffy asked.
"That eggplant's still green. Might not be useful," Zeff said.
"No way! His food's amazing. I'm sold on it," Luffy insisted.
Zeff chuckled. "Simple guy."
Luffy was recruiting without knowing Sanji's combat skills, a mix of bold and reckless. Yet his confidence was unshaken, its source a mystery.
A loud crash from the entrance interrupted them, followed by screams and a tense air. Luffy looked curiously; Zeff's face hardened. "What now?"
"Tch, trouble again? Who is it—Patty, Carne, or the eggplant?" Zeff growled.
"Gonna check it out? A fight?" Luffy asked, excited.
"Maybe. No one messes with my ship," Zeff said.
He strode off, his peg leg clacking on the wooden floor, his gait steady despite the limp. Luffy, sensing strength, followed eagerly, drawn to the scent of trouble.
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